Mozambique: Police detain 34 alleged recruits of armed groups

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Mozambique: Police detain 34 alleged recruits of armed groups

2:00 CAT | 03 Oct 2019

File photo: Lusa

Mozambican police informed Lusa on Thursday that they had detained 34 people in Nampula they suspected of being on their way to Cabo Delgado to join the armed groups that have carried out attacks in the region.

The case occurred last week when during patrol operations, police stopped a vehicle leaving Nacala-Porto, in the province of Nampula, which borders Cabo Delgado, explained Zacarias Nacute, a police spokesman.

“When they were approached, they, mostly young people, found it difficult to explain where they were going. They said they were going to Angoche [also in Nampula] to work in a cashew factory. The police investigated and discovered that this was a lie,” the spokesman said.

According to the Mozambican police, this is a case of recruiting people to join the ranks of criminal groups that have been carrying out attacks in the province of Cabo Delgado since October 2017.

“These individuals have been taken to their areas of origin and we are currently making efforts to locate their mentors, as it has not been possible to identify the person responsible for the recruitment on the spot,” said the Mozambican police spokesman in Nampula, adding that the corporation has frequently recorded this type of case and, as a result, security has been strengthened.

Some districts in Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique, have been the target of attacks by armed groups for two years, with reports of violence almost every week, despite the silence of the authorities.

According to figures collected by Lusa, the wave of violence has already caused the death of at least 200 people, including residents, alleged aggressors and members of the security forces.

The attacks are taking place in the region where work on the exploitation of natural gas is being carried out.

The jihadist group Islamic State has announced since June that it is associated with some of these attacks, but authorities and analysts do not find this credible.

Source: Lusa